Channel 37: What Your Facility Can Do to Prepare

Friday, July 11, 2013 – 1:00 pm –2:30 pm Eastern

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was directed by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 to free up spectrum for broadband wireless applications. As a result, the FCC voted unanimously in September 2012 to begin an incentive auction process intended to repurpose broadcast television spectrum for mobile broadband use, potentially impacting TV channel 37.

The move could have major ramifications for hospitals in the United States, as TV channel 37 is currently designated as half of the radio spectrum available for the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS). WMTS is used to remotely monitor patient health.

The WMTS Coalition, an informal coalition consisting of AAMI, ECRI Institute, the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), medical device manufacturers, and other groups, filed comments in response to the FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking on the incentive auction. The coalition is concerned about the financial impact for hospitals and manufacturers; the long-term strategy for wireless healthcare; and possible interference from adjacent channels, something that could destroy the reliability of Channel 37.  To view the WMTS Coalition comments, visit http://www.aami.org/news/2013/012813_WMTS_Comments.pdf.

This free webinar will provide guidance to hospital staff who want to plan for the potential change.  Experts from AAMI, ECRI Institute, and ASHE will provide the latest information.

Program Outline

The program will:

    1. Briefly discuss the history of the issue
    2. Highlight what the WMTS Coalition said in comments to the FCC
    3. Identify potential safety concerns and potential impacts on healthcare technology management
    4. Provide ways for you to prepare
    5. Q&A

Speakers

Who Should Attend?

The webinar is designed for clinical technology managers, clinical and biomedical engineers, hospital IT staff, device risk managers, field support personnel, telecommunications implementers and system integrators.

To Register

To register for the webinar, please visit: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/295389785

About ECRI Institute

ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best to enable improved patient care. As pioneers in this science for 45 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. Strict conflict-of-interest guidelines ensure objectivity. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).